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AD) Saving money while moving home

This is a collaborative post

For the most part, when people think about moving home, they tend to imagine the disruption and stress it can cause, well I know I do. Moving remains one of the most stressful experiences a person can go through, and this tends to dominate our thoughts.

However, while there is no denying that moving can indeed be stressful, it can also be expensive - which tends to make the whole process even more of a stressful time. If you are financially savvy and ensured you have found a cheap house for sale, bought it, and kept the associated costs as low as you possibly can, the sudden impact of actually upping sticks and moving into your new home can be extremely concerning.

There are, however, ways that the costs of moving can be managed or even outright reduced; here’s what you need to know…

Consider DIYing as much of your move as possible

When looking to keep moving costs manageable, avoiding the use of a moving company is always a good choice. While professional movers can help keep stress levels to a minimum, Doing it Yourself is usually preferable when it comes to keeping the cost down..

How much you are willing to DIY depends on a number of factors, including how far you will be moving - longer moves tend to be trickier to self-manage, so professional help may be beneficial in these instances. However, if you’re moving a relatively short distance, then you may find that hiring a truck to move boxes is far more affordable than working with a professional company. It’s always worth running the numbers and asking local movers for quotes before making your decision, but as a general rule, the more you can DIY the more you will be able to save.

Thoroughly declutter every room of your existing house

When moving, pounds matter - both in terms of money and in terms of weight. If you’re working with professional movers, the more there is to move, the higher the price will be. Even if you are going to hire a truck to conduct the move yourself, the cost of petrol will escalate with every extra pound of weight you have to transport.

As a result, you’ll need to declutter like you have never decluttered before if you’re planning to keep the costs of moving reasonable. You can set yourself rules, such as: “if an item hasn’t been used for six months, then it doesn’t make the move”. For items that don't make the cut, you can either sell these on auction sites, or on a social media marketplace , or donate to charity.

Host a packing party

Asking friends and family to help pack boxes can give you the best of both worlds: you don’t need to hire a professional service, and you’ll also ensure that the packing process is as short and stress-free as possible.

You can even make the process enjoyable by turning a day of packing into a “packing party”. Ask multiple friends and family members to help you out, crank the music, and provide a few inexpensive snacks and drinks to your helpers. The packing process should fly by incredibly quickly with this idea, so you’ll enjoy the benefits of professional-speed packing and will have had the chance to have a little fun with your nearest and dearest.

Request free boxes

Buying boxes solely for the purpose of moving can be super expensive, and wateful realistically, there’s very little reason to do so. For most items, free boxes are more than sufficient, and there are a variety of different places that will offer boxes for free. For example, supermarkets are usually a great place to start - simply call and ask if they have any boxes available for collection.

If your local supermarket cannot help, then the internet is usually the best choice. Local freecycling groups can often be a great source of boxes so it’s worth posting an advert as soon as you know you have to move. Alternatively, consider local classified ads sites, and even auction sites will sometimes offer free boxes to anyone who is able to collect them.

Lastly, you can ask your family and friends to keep hold of any boxes they receive in the lead-up to your move. Advise that the boxes can be stored flat for a few weeks so storing the box shouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience, and then you can reassemble them as needed.

Make use of existing items as packaging materials

When transporting delicate objects, packaging materials are essential - but they can also be expensive, not to mention rather bad for the environment. Thankfully, you do not need to actually buy packaging materials; you can simply use items that you already have available.

For example, blankets and curtains can be great protective material for delicate items, as can old clothes (or clothes that you don’t mind being scrunched in a box), unused cleaning sponges, and even pet beds. As you will need to be moving these items anyway, using them for packaging purposes is a helpful two-for-one benefit. In addition, if you regularly shred documents, then store the shredded paper leading up to the move and use this to help add an extra layer of protection to your moving boxes.

Finally, if you have any items that are particularly delicate and you feel can only really be packed into a box if they have “proper” packaging materials to protect them, consider eschewing a box for these items altogether. Instead, ask a friend or family member to transport the item on their lap on moving day, so there’s no risk of the piece falling or being damaged by close proximity to other items while in transit.

Realistically, moving is never going to be “cheap” - there will always be costs, some of which are inherently expensive, that will have to be met along the way. However, if you can keep the above in mind, you should be able to ensure you can keep the costs as reasonable as possible, so you can make the move and look forward to enjoying your newhomewith your finances still in relatively good health.